


I’ll teach you (spin you around, won’t let you fall)

by driedupwishes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Ereri Week 2015, First Impressions, Future Fic, M/M, Training, squad goals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 14:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4750580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driedupwishes/pseuds/driedupwishes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Squad Levi spends a day trying to teach Eren their favorite moves in the 3DMG and Eren gets his first impression of what their captain can really do in the air. Ten years later Eren returns the favor for some of the new cadets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I’ll teach you (spin you around, won’t let you fall)

The squad sprawled in the grass in the forest a little ways off from the castle. Eren didn’t think they were technically supposed to be out, especially since everyone seemed to be goofing off like a bunch of trainees. Auruo in particular was acting out, loud and demanding as he tried to teach Eren some move he had supposedly created himself, but Eren kept getting distracted by the rest of the squad behind him. They were as loud as the group he’d been trained with, rolling their eyes and making faces at their squad mate’s back as he was trying to lecture Eren into line. Their captain was the only one not joining in on the teasing, leaning further back against a tree and watching with dark eyes.

“Oh, give it a rest,” Petra called, laughing at the sour twist in Auruo’s expression. “You’ve been hounding him for an hour with your boring techniques, let him try something fun!”

“Fun,” Auruo repeated, looking partially offended and partially disgusted. “This _is_ fun!”

Eren couldn’t help but make a face from his position attached to the trunk of a nearby tree. Auruo wasn’t necessarily a bad teacher, but he was a repetitive one, shouting the same instructions as if they would mean something else the seventh time. Eld caught him making a face, grinning up at him from his slouched position near the base of the same tree, nudging Gunther nearby and gesturing with a flick of his fingers.

If it had been Jean or Reiner Eren would have made a rude gesture back and grinned, but his friends were still at the castle, going over procedures for the upcoming expedition. They should have left yesterday, but the whole thing had been pushed back a few days and Hanji had left unexpectedly, so their experiments on Eren had been put on hold as well. With nothing better to do the squad had suggested taking Eren out for training purposes, though their captain had seemed to see through their ploy.

Eren was a little surprised they’d been allowed to fool around as long as they had been, since it had been early morning when they arrived and the sun was embarking on its descent to the horizon now. He kept expecting the call to return to the castle at any minute, but every time he glanced at their quiet captain the man seemed content to let them be for a while longer.

“Levi,” Gunther called, twisting around to look at their captain. Eren jolted at the sound of the man’s name, eyes darting from Gunther to their captain. Gunther was grinning, but the other dark haired man was not. “You should teach him something. We’ve all gone; it’s your turn now.”

Everyone twisted to look to their captain and Eren was reminded of his friends again, looking to Shadis to see if they would get the afternoon off or if they’d have to do more laps. They’d ended up with laps more than afternoons off, but occasionally Shadis had given them a few hours to slack off, glowering at the obvious glee on their faces before stalking away.

“Teach you something,” their captain said, glancing up at him. Eren froze, feeling a little like he had been caught staring, which was silly since _everyone_ was staring. “And what should I teach you?”

“Uh,” Eren said, trying to come up with an answer. He hadn’t seen their captain fight, except for the few seconds before he’d passed out after his second transformation. He had no idea what to ask to be taught. The squad seemed to sense that, Petra’s laughter bubble up like a warm brook in the silence.

“He hasn’t seen you fight, captain,” she said, curling up to sit with her arms around her knees. She looked small like that, delicate and bright like a flower. Eren was sure she could probably hurt him beyond his imagination with her swords, but she didn’t look it in that moment. “You should show him your spins!”

“Spins,” Eren muttered, glancing between Petra and their captain. The quiet man raised an eyebrow as Eld and Gunther nodded, Auruo strangely silent in the background. Eren glanced between them each in turn, curiosity rising, because while he knew their captain was known as Humanity’s Strongest, his fighting style had always been mystery edged in rumors and imagination. All he knew was that everyone said Captain Levi flew like nothing else and as the man stepped forward Eren felt his gut tighten at the thought that he was about to see him fly with his own two eyes.

“Get down from there,” their captain said, rolling his shoulders as he stepped around his squad and deeper into the trees. A shiver ran down Eren’s spine as the man’s lips twitched a little. “And watch carefully, because I’m only going to do this once.”

Eren retracted his wires and dropped to the ground, absorbing the shock with bent knees as he dropped his hands awkwardly to his side. Their dark haired captain passed him and Eren twisted to keep watching him, staggering back a step until a hand fisted in the back of his shirt and hauled him down. He yelped, landing on his ass, shooting a look over his shoulder at Auruo only to have the other man grab his chin and jerk his face forward again. He was just in time to see their captain take off.

Humanity’s Strongest was in the air between one step and the next, wire shooting out on one side so it seemed like he was walking on absolutely nothing. Eren felt his breathing hitch as the man twisted, face passive as he crossed his arms and pulled out his blades, tucking to the side just briefly and then-

And then he was spinning.

He tucked around one tree, attached himself to the next and spun, and spun, and _spun_ , blades out, biting into the bark as he curled around the trunk, carving higher and higher until he was back in the air. He switched between one tree and the next, turning faster and faster and faster until he slung himself up in the air and for a minute the world slowed, Eren’s eyes drawn to the way their captain widened his stance mid-air, arching before his wire thudded into the ground in front of the squad, spinning in a slant until he righted himself only a few feet from the ground and touched down on a single foot.

 

-

 

Levi hit the ground a little harder than he had meant to, having used too much gas on the last revolution. A day wasted playing in the forest had seemed silly, but it was nice seeing his squad relax. They could have been cleaning, of course, since the castle certainly still needed it, but especially considering the expedition looming in the very near future he figured he could let it slide this time. His bangs were hanging in his face when he landed and he flicked them back with a shake of his head, eyes drifting up to take in the sight of his squad. They had all seem him in action before except for Eren, but he took a minute to take in the way they relaxed back against the grass and soaked up the warm sunlight, storing it away in his memory for later, just in case. It wasn’t until he heard the noise that he looked at the teenager, but when he did he drew up short.

Eren Jaeger had been like fire since the moment of his decision in the jail cell below the courtroom, but even then Levi wasn’t prepared for the intensity of the way he stared at him now. During the day Eren had listened when the others had spoken, even tried to copy their moves to the best of his ability, but even in his most concentrated moments he hadn’t been so close to vibrating with determination. Levi raised an eyebrow down at him, feeling a little curious as the tall brunette bounded to his feet despite the heavy gear on either side of his hip. Levi almost took the same spot the newest member of his team had just vacated, but instead he stepped around Auruo and leant up against the tree next to where Petra sat, turning to watch as the strange boy craned his head back, seeming to study the marks Levi’s blades had left on the trees.

There was no warning before Eren lunged, hook shooting out with more gas than he needed. He used the momentum of his jump to swing up toward the tree, jerking his blades out with too much friction, but then something surprising happened.

Eren spun.

It wasn’t the best attempt Levi had ever seen, but considering it was his first it was leagues above the rest. He needed to do something about his shoulders, not getting the rotations he should have with his arms held at awkward angles, but Eren got enough rotations to hook around the tree trunk, blades held out in a mimic of Levi’s earlier moves. Eren was holding them too low, but even Levi’s squad could tell that the boy was doing something right; Levi could see it in the corner of his eyes as they all straightened, going stiff with surprise.

Eren could only keep it up for one tree, too low on gas and momentum to circle multiple trees, but he landed as Levi had, slinging himself higher in the air to give himself time to right his stance. He landed on both feet after a long stationary second in the air, his weight thundering into the ground, gear clanking against his legs with a little rattle. Levi noted the bent knees with approval, though if Eren could learn to move with the momentum, pressing forward instead of down his landings would be smoother. He opened his mouth to mention it when the boy looked up, tossing his hair up out of green eyes with a downward curling glower.

Eren growled, movements agitated as he straightened, shoving his blades back in their casing so roughly they sparked. When he glanced up he seemed to shrink, shoulders slumping, anger dripping off him like water. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Petra was clapping, bouncing excitedly on the grass where she sat.

“You did it,” she cheered, beaming up at the boy who only blinked back at her in confusion. “You did it, Eren; you copied the captain’s move!”

Eren’s face scrunched up, mouth falling open, and Levi heard Gunther and Eld start to laugh. Auruo, who had been shocked into silence for one of the few times in his life, came off the ground like a cannon shot, voice rising faster than Levi could follow. The squad converged on the boy, all talking at once, a little reminiscent of the way they had gathered around him when he had accidentally transformed his arm. Levi hung back and watched, studying the way the teenager held himself as his team closed in.

“How,” Auruo sputtered at him, drawing up to his full height so he could tower over Eren. Levi mused that in a few years the kid would probably have enough height to pull the same move back on the man, if he got the balls to. The thought was slightly amusing against the image of now, as the boy hunched further into himself to appear small. “How did you do that your _first try_?”

Eren opened his mouth to answer before seeming to become embarrassed, jaw snapping shut. Gunther dug his elbow into the teenager’s side, egging him on, and with a gusty sigh the brunette muttered, “I used to get caught in my gear a lot and slung around. Spinning on purpose isn’t so different, I guess.”

Levi felt his lips twitch and he pressed them together, lest the squad catch him smiling. They were too busy laughing to notice him, Gunther and Eld leant together while Auruo howled. Petra tried to defend Eren, who was pink faced and indignant, still unsure whether he could yell back at his new squad members or not, and for a moment Levi let them be. But in the end Levi had to step in and tell everyone to shut their mouths and get their asses moving or they wouldn’t get back to the castle before diner.

On the ride back Levi pulled his horse next to Eren’s, noting he was still somewhat sullen about the teasing. Levi bit back another smile, settling in the saddle as the teenager noticed him, jerking upright as wide green eyes slided over to look searchingly at Levi.

“You weren’t bad today,” Levi told him, watching as the brunette’s face lit up in surprise and delight. Levi tried not to scoff, feeling a little awkward at the attention. “A little practice and you might even be able to keep up with us outside of your titan form.”

If Levi had been expecting Eren to dim at the slight jibe he was mistaken. The teenager straightened, saluting him with a hard thud of his fist against his chest, all but beaming at him from atop the horse he rode. “Of course, captain,” he chimed, looking young and earnest, painfully so compared to his determined scowl from earlier. “I won’t let you down!”

Levi knew Erwin had only considered Eren as a titan weapon, but Levi knew there was more to the boy than that. When they returned to the castle he’d sit down and take a good long look into the files they’d been given on Eren. He deserved the consideration that any other solider would have gotten before joining his team. He’d proven himself capable, clever, and loyal, even within the short span of the past month. He was a proper soldier, more than Levi had ever been, and now he was in Levi’s care. He’d have to keep that in mind.

 

-

 

_Ten Years Later_

 

-

 

Some days Jean wasn’t sure how he’d landed himself here, in the woods, surrounded by _teenagers_. He wasn’t that much older, or so Armin kept pointing out, only twenty-five, but looking at all the fresh faces in front of him made him feel _ancient_.

_Great_ , he though, watching one boy elbow another in the ribs and receive an immediate jab back. _I’ve turned into Levi._

“Hands to yourself,” he barked. There was a little trill of satisfaction as his first and hopefully only squad scrambled at the sound of his command. He bit the inside of his cheek on a snort, understanding suddenly so much more of his years in the Survey Corps before this. Crossing his arms he tried to look as big and put together as possible; teenagers could smell weakness, or at least that’s what Hanji had told him when they’d told him he was getting a squad.

“Uh, captain,” a boy said in the back, dark eyes and dark hair. Jean had only picked them up from the city yesterday and he hadn’t memorized their names yet. He thought the kid’s name might have been F-something, but at the moment his mind was blank. Fuck, he hated being put on the spot like this.

“Yes,” Jean drawled, leaning his shoulder against one of the trees. The kid crinkled his nose, distaste curling his lip. Troublemaker, Jean thought with a groan, but not like he, Connie, and Eren had been. More like Armin, probably. He’d have to keep an eye on him.

“Why are we _here_?”

Jean wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t. He’d been fifteen once; he knew about taking orders without question. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to order his kids to do the kind of shit he’d had to at fifteen, but since Levi had become commander times had changed. He wouldn’t need to order these kids on the run or teach them hold to hold a hostage and for that he was glad.

“We’re here so I can see what I’m working with,” he said, nodding at the forest around them. “No dummies, no drills; I just want to see how all of you move, so I know what I’ve got here.”

The kids shared looks, some skeptical, some excited, and two annoyed. The annoyed ones were a pair in the dead center, the two boys who’d been elbowing each other before. _Those_ were the kind troublemakers Jean knew all too well, the ones everyone had been saying they hoped Jean got on his squad, as punishment for how much shit he’d pulled in their place.

“But we’ve _already_ proved ourselves,” one of the two said, blonde with bright angry eyes. Jean really regretted not memorizing the names now. “At the graduating exam and Shadis oversaw it; you should have our files, _shouldn’t_ you?”

_The kids can smell your fear_ , Jean remembered. He bit back a groan and pressed his shoulder against the tree bark to hide his agitation.

“Yes, I _do_ ,” Jean said, growling a little bit. Some of the kids trembled, but not enough. Fuck, was he not as scary as their captain had been? That was depressing. “But I’d like to see what the fuck you can shit out _myself_. Got a problem with that?”

Silence met his question and with a jolt he realized why their captain had been so into the shit humor; no one knew what the fuck to say to it, so they said _absolutely nothing_. It was a miracle. He was definitely using that tactic later, he thought, letting his lip curl just a bit with satisfaction. He shifted, making to move further into the woods and signal for the kids to get up, but before he could a voice cut across the quiet.

“Your humor sure is _shitty_ ,” Eren said, clear as fucking day. Jean bit his tongue, eyes closing as his jaw clenched until it hurt. Of fucking _course_ Jaeger was here on Jean’s first day with the kids. How was he supposed to make a good first impression with this asshole around?

Jean turned, scowl in place, to find Eren grinning at him from the very edge of the forest. His hair was getting almost as long as his titan form, hanging in his eyes and curling around his jaw, clinging to sweaty cheeks. He barely looked anything like the kid Jean fought with all throughout training, but then again Jean barely recognized himself in the mirror some mornings.

“Fuck _off_ , Jaeger,” Jean muttered, rolling his eyes as he pushed off the tree. He registered his squad’s reaction to Eren’s appearance absently, watching them straighten with surprise as they seemed to realize who was walking toward them. Eren had a reputation among the people now, their tamed titan shifter, Humanity’s Hope. Jean forgot sometimes that Eren was anything but just a pain, but watching the kids go pale with surprise he remembered how much Eren _mattered_.

Eren laughed, nose crinkling a little. It was a habit he’d never grown out of. “Chill out, I was just going on a walk. I can keep moving if you want, but I wanted to see what was going on.”

“Putting the kids through the trees so I can see what I’m working with,” Jean explained, shrugging a little. Eren nodded, serious for a split second, the way he was during meetings. Jean watched him glance over the heads of the kids on the ground and felt a little pride bubble in his chest when Eren nodded again in approval.

“Uh,” someone said. Jean hitched his head toward the side, eyes sliding over to where the same fucking kid in the back piped up again. “You’re… You’re Eren Jaeger.”

“Yep,” Eren said, popping the p sound like they had both done, back when they’d been stupid shits in trouble ever other week. “And you’re Squad Kirschtein.”

A ripple went over the kids at the name and Jean remembered that, how it felt to be called part of Squad Levi for the first time. He’d felt so small, but also like he was ten feet tall. He hoped these kids felt that same kind of feeling hearing his name attached to that statement; he hoped he inspired them just as much as their captain had him.

“Yep, that’s them,” Jean said, voice a little tight. He glanced between the kids and Eren, wearing his straps but no gear, and an idea came to him. He twitched, hands smoothing over his own gear, and then shifted, looping fingers into his belt. He glanced back at the kids and his lips twitched into a little smirk.

“Hey kids,” he said. His squad squirmed a little, a protest behind their teeth, probably about how they weren’t kids. He didn’t care; they were kids and they were _his kids_ now. “Want to see the _famous_ Humanity’s Hope show what he’s made of?”

The cry of _yes_ was sharp, sharper than he expected. It nearly covered Eren’s groan, his protests weak as Jean twisted to grin at him. Jean started to wriggle out of his gear, unbuckling it with years of ease and gesturing for Eren to gear up. He did so with another groan, the kids’ excited murmur a background to Eren’s dirty looks. Eren hopped into the gear easily, clicking it all into place while Jean turned to face the kids, brushing his hands together with a little bit of glee. He had figured he was going to have to barter with the kids to get them to cooperate, offer to show them what he could do to level with them, but this was much more preferable. Eren did all the work and he just had to sit back and bark orders. What an ideal situation. 

"Alright,” Eren said, once the gear was all settled. He tapped the cans to check if they were full, which they were, and then settled, stance wide, to face Jean and his kids. “What do you wanna see?”

“The Levi Squad Spin!”

Jean hadn’t caught the speaker, but he watched a mixture of emotions flicker across Eren’s face with another curl of pride. If there was a move they could have requested to affect Eren, that one certainly would have been it.

“The Levi Squad Spin,” Eren repeated quietly. His lips twitched, a little grin, an old echo of the ones Eren used to wear coming out of the captain’s office. There was a little sadness in his eyes, but Jean was familiar with that. Eren had told them the story of seeing Levi spin for the first time, back when he and their captain had taught the entire squad the move, one afternoon where time had slowed and Levi had laughed aloud in front of everyone for the first time. The pride Jean felt this time wasn’t for his squad, but for Eren, who’d grown so much from the idiot he’d fought with so much during his youth.

Jean would never admit it, though. He’d take that fucking feeling to his grave. 

“If you, uh, don’t mind,” one of the kids said quietly, politely. Jean snorted, figuring he was safe and that they were too busy being wowed by the way Eren was starting to strut past where the kids were sitting and deeper into the forest to notice his humor. 

“I don’t mind,” Eren said, shrugging a little bit. His borrowed gear clinked quietly as he moved, his steps large as he walked between the kids instead of around them. They ducked to stare at him as he passed, eyes bright with curiosity, and Jean wondered if Eren _really_ knew what he meant to these kids that had joined. They’d had one of the largest batches of cadets this year, all brimming with excitement and determination, all cocky and proud to wear their wings on their cloaks and jackets, and Jean knew that was partially Eren’s doing. Humanity’s Strongest lead them now, Humanity’s Hope at his heels, riding out to clear the world so that they could live outside the walls for good. Every expedition was sent out with a cheering crowd, had been for years now; Jean could barely remember how it’d felt when he’d first joined, scornful looks tossed their way instead of farewells.

“Well if you _don’t mind_ ,” Jean muttered, loud enough for Eren to laugh. Mid-laugh, glancing back to grin at Jean with a challenge he recognized all too well, Eren launched one wire up into the trees and stepped up into mid air.

And then Eren was spinning.

Jean wasn’t too focused on what Eren was doing; he’d seen the trick and could do it himself. Instead while Eren was curling up into the trees, holding his blades just like their captain, reversed and low, Jean watched the way the kid’s jaws dropped instead, smothering a laugh between his teeth at the squeak of surprise one girl emitted, her hands flying to cover her mouth as Eren curled from one tree and straight on into the next. His squad was hypnotized by Eren’s little show and Jean knew as he craned to look up at the idiot as well that Eren was having fun showing off for them. He was using too much gas, as he always did, and he wasn’t digging his blades as far into the trees as he would need to if they were titans, but Eren was still breathtaking, powerful and fast, a blur of color as he carved the forest up.

Eren had enough gas in the tanks to twirl through the trees to his heart’s content for at least an hour, probably more like two. Jean was more than happy to let him and the kids seemed like they’d be breaking their necks to watch him as long as he was up there, so Jean settled against a tree and crossed his ankles to enjoy the show. But only a few minutes later a shout cut across the sound of tearing bark and expended gas, the voice loud but not very close.

Jean recognized it all the same.

“ _Oi! Stop showing off and get back in here. Hanji isn’t done with you yet, you know._ ”

__

__-_ _

__

It would have been hard to miss that familiar voice, even from a distance, even with the wind in his ears, the tank expelling gas, the trees’ bark tearing under his borrowed blades. He cut the last revolution short, widening his legs in the air to straighten himself as he fell toward the ground. The old instinct to land on both feet didn’t even tug at him as he twisted, landing on one foot and bouncing into the second step with easy practice. The kids in Jean’s squad were torn between staring at him with awe and gaping at the figure seated upon a horse out in the field outside the forest, something approaching fear in their expressions. Eren bit his tongue on a laugh, glancing over at Jean to find him rolling his eyes, leant up against a tree like he wasn’t impressed in the slightest.

“Oh no,” one of Jean’s kids said, the one with the haircut that reminded Eren of Armin, eyes wide and bright. “That’s the commander!”

Eren swallowed back a snort, shrugging his shoulders a little as he squinted out into the sunlight. It was definitely Levi and if Eren knew him the man was scowling, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for Eren to join him. Even his horse was stomping with impatience, though Levi’s horse was always restless; he was a big creature, made for free running, and he always nuzzled at Eren’s shoulder when he brushed him down.

“Did we get you in trouble,” one of the cadets asked, drawing his attention back toward the squad he had been ‘showing off’ for. It was a little girl, probably about as big around as Historia had been at that age. She had the same sweetness in her eyes too, which almost made him feel bad about the way he laughed at her question.

“Nah,” he said, shaking the hair out of his eyes. Maybe he needed to cut it, but he’d learned his lesson last time; Hanji was going to keep their damn scissors to themselves, thanks. But maybe he could get someone else to do it, someone shorter…

Levi, as if sensing their conversation, shouted again. “ _Eren! Get over here_!”

“It sounds like we got you in trouble,” one of the other recruits said doubtfully. Jean snorted again, shifting against his tree trunk lazily.

“Trust me,” Jean told his squad, “Eren’s always in trouble with the commander.”

"You’re full of horseshit,” Eren said, but he couldn’t help but grin. “You were right there scrubbing floors with me, man.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jean denied, as if having a squad of his own erased all those years of slowly escalating pranks that ended up with both of them scrubbing every inch of the headquarters several times over. Eren scoffed, mouth open to argue back, when they were interrupted again.

“ _Eren_ ,” Levi snapped, impossibly loud, voice thinly veiled with impatience. Eren honestly couldn’t remember if there was an experiment scheduled for that day or if Levi was just looking for an excuse to escape the ever growing amount of paperwork he had to do, but either way it was probably time to find out.

“How much louder can he yell,” one of the boys wondered quietly, shoulders hunched up to his ears. “I thought we’d left that behind with Shadis, but I think the commander might even be louder.”

“He has an unfortunate amount of practice yelling this idiot’s name,” Jean said. Eren blinked at him for a second before what he said caught up to them both, leaving Jean making a disgusted face while Eren twitched with laughter. In front of them the teenagers peered between them with obvious confusion.

“ _Leave_ ,” Jean hissed. Eren bit back as much laughter as he could, but his shoulders still shook with it as he quickly unbuckled his borrowed gear and dropped it at Jean’s feet, moving past his old squad member. He reached up to knock his knuckles against Jean’s as he did so, grinning even wider when Jean lifted his fist to return the motion.

“See you at dinner,” Eren muttered. Jean made another face at him, muttering back with only a little of his old sullen flare that he’d be there. “Have fun training guys,” Eren called back, waving to the teenagers who were still watching him in various stages of awe and confusion. There was one boy at the back with a kind of dawning horror in his eyes as he glanced between Eren and the figure in the distance that almost made him want to groan, but in the end he shrugged it off. The rumors would circulate sooner or later, they always did, and there was nothing really to do but bear the curious nosey kids they’d picked up this recruiting season.

Eren should have taken a horse out to the forest, but he hadn’t, so when he jogged up beside Levi he received a gusty sigh in response to his grin. He paused for a moment to let the big old stallion mouth against his hair, hands dragging down against the horse’s neck in hello before he moved to stand beside Levi’s leg. He grinned at Levi’s expression before reaching up to grab the saddle behind him, waiting until Levi had moved his foot out of the stirrup before hauling himself up.

“Right,” Levi said, shifting forward to give Eren as much room as possible. These saddles weren’t really made for two, but they could make do. They’d ridden in smaller before. “Because forgetting your horse and then clamoring onto mine isn’t strange at all.”

Eren was aware that Jean’s kids in the forest were probably still watching them, probably putting together more pieces than Jean wanted to deal with, but he didn’t mind. He ducked down, curling an arm around Levi’s waist, smiling at the way the awkward man in front of him relaxed back against his chest.

“You’re the one who only brought one horse,” Eren said, not quite teasing. It was still enough that he got an elbow to the gut, but it was hardly even a jab, more of a nudge really. Eren dug his fingers into Levi’s side in retaliation, snickering quietly when the other twitched.

“Eren,” Levi growled, probably embarrassed. He turned his horse back toward headquarters and Eren risked pressing forward even more, his chin dipping to rest on Levi’s shoulder.

“Was I that wide eyed at their age,” he asked quietly. He couldn’t help but think the new cadets seemed strangely smaller and younger than the ones before. Maybe he was just getting old, he thought with a grimace.

“No,” Levi answered, voice soft and a little sad. No, not sad exactly, Eren thought; distant was more the word for it. Levi was so good at distancing himself some days. “You were even more wide eyed and annoying than they were. You saluted every time someone gave you a goddamn order, even if it was Auruo.”

Eren couldn’t help but laugh, even though the memory was distant and fuzzy. He felt so old, but to be fair, so much had happened in that first year that all his memories from the time were a little jumbled. “I was trying to be a good soldier,” he defended, though he had to admit, what little he did remember mostly involved spending an awful lot of time saluting and then bearing the teasing from their old squad for it. Levi laughed in front of him, a sound Eren didn’t hear as much as he liked, the other twisting to peer back and meet Eren’s eyes.

“Good soldier or not, you were a pain in the ass,” Levi said. His smile was small and private, just for Eren. “Though admittedly not as big as a pain in the ass as you are _now_.”

“Sorry, _Commander_ ,” Eren responded immediately, as cheekily as he could.

Levi snorted, elbow nudging his side again, twisting back to face the castle with a muttered, “no you’re not.” And Eren wasn’t sorry in the least, grinning so hard his face hurt. But that feeling only lasted until they reached the headquarters courtyard, where Hanji was waiting with a wide, toothy grin that bordered on feral.

Levi all but kicked Eren from his horse’s back, eyes alight with mirth when he had to stumble to keep his feet under him. Without waiting for him to straighten all the way Hanji lunged forward and seized his arm, already trying to haul him away for another of their endless experiments.

“How the hell do you still have experiments for me,” Eren groaned, “it’s been ten years, aren’t you bored yet?” He was taller and broader than Hanji was, had been for almost eight years, but they had their manic glee on their side that was impossible to fight. Levi swung off his horse and handed the reins off to a nearby cadet, who looked about ready to shit himself at the thought of handling the commander’s horse. Oh, the good old days, Eren thought with a snort.

“Have fun,” Levi called after him, looking far too pleased with himself. Eren hoped he had a mound of paperwork or a really awful meeting lined up for that afternoon. If he had to suffer so should Levi.

“You suck,” Eren shouted back at him, not caring that the cadet was still standing there, staring at the pair of them like a startled rabbit. Levi smirked openly at him as he strode to go to the other side of the castle, the expression so startling Eren swore he heard the watching teenager _eep_.

“You _wish_ ,” Levi called back. His meaning was clear as the sun above them and it sent a warm shiver down Eren’s spine with longing. He felt his cheeks heat when Hanji openly laughed at them and he twisted to follow them willingly since there was no point in fighting it. He caught one last glimpse of the cadet who was supposed to be attending to Levi’s horse before he turned the corner and the sight of their expression almost made him groan. 

So much for making a good first impression with this batch, Eren thought. But even so, he regretted nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> my piece for canonverse ereri week, day 1: first impressions! gotta go finish the second one before tomorrow, since I've got work, so I hope you all enjoyed!!! c:


End file.
